Relaxation Techniques
by livelyfingered
Summary: When Austin interrupts Ally's relaxation ritual, she can't seem to regain her peace of mind. / AustinAlly. Oneshot.


**A/N: In light of the Thanksgiving spirit, I thought it would be good to somehow describe those good food smells (you know, to get the cravings out of my system). Meanwhile, I wanted to incorporate our favorite almost-canon couple. Hehe – my good friend Sarah might even be able to read this in perfect composure (because she tends to break out in laughter while reading my stories). Hey, Sarah – I promise this'll be good.**

It was her ritual of sorts. She'd take a stroll around the mall with her eyes half-closed, trying to pick out the smells of roasting turkey and baked potato and peppermint chocolate, allowing each to slowly extend its tendrils into the depths of her nose. _Yes_, she'd think, _that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm letting the tendrils extend into my nose_. She would then giggle at the utter silliness of the phrase, but she knew there was no other way to express her relaxation time.

So when he interrupted that ritual in the most innocent way possible, she knew she'd never be able to forgive him, but also that she could never bring herself to stay angry at him. She saw in Austin the undeniable qualities of sweetness, eagerness, and frankly _vulnerability_, and as a result she could never tolerate others taking advantage of him. Never would it happen under her watch.

But he did shatter her peace, and that was what she was focused on for the moment.

"Hey, Ally! What're you doing?"

Reluctantly, she turned in the direction of his (_oh-so-attractive_) voice.

"Hey. I'm just taking a walk."

"What, really? You were just standing there."

"I – I was thinking."

"Oh, I should've known. You're always thinking about something, after all." A playful grin graced his features, but immediately fell when he noticed her expression.

"Ally, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She sighed and turned away, pretending to be completely absorbed in the bubbling and gurgling of the fountain.

"Hey, you know you can always tell me if something's wrong."

"I know. Thanks, Austin. Right now I just need some alone time."

"Oh – I understand. Take your time. I'm always here if you need me." He inched away from her, trying and failing to look casual. "Bye, Ally. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye, Austin. See you."

And then she sighed in frustration, because she knew there was no way he was going to leave her alone for more than five minutes. She sat down on the nearest bench and put her head in her hands, attempting to reestablish the smooth train of thought that Austin had unceremoniously crashed. She was just tired, really. _All I need is a nap. I've just been extremely stressed recently_.

She found herself staring into a pair of worried brown eyes.

"Thank goodness you're all right – I thought you were unconscious!"

"Austin, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I came back to…uh, you know, to do something, and I found you sprawled across the bench, and I just wanted to make sure you were still, um – still alive, you know."

"Austin, I'm not dead. And I'm not dying anytime soon. Is that what you were worried about?"

"Pfft – no! Of course not! Why would you think that?"

It was then that she noticed that he was on his knees beside the bench. Her expression softened, and she propped herself up on her elbows.

"Austin, listen. I'm okay. I was just really tired, and I'm sorry that I snapped at you."

"You didn't snap at me."

"Well, I pushed you away, didn't I? I'm sorry. I'm just stressed, that's all."

"But why, Ally? Thanksgiving break is coming up!"

"I – I don't know. I guess it's because of the store. You know, business is going slow and my dad's always talking about some new _business model_ or about _narrowing down the target audience_, and then he has to go to these instrument conventions and I have to juggle work and school, and…it's hard, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it. Look, if you need anything…"

"Oh, no, it's okay. Don't worry about it."

"Okay, then. But maybe I can help you with something else, yeah?"

"Sure. What do you have in mind?"

"Well, I guess I could help with relieving your stress in some way."

"Um, okay."

"Like, do you want a massage or something? I don't really know how to give one…"

"It's fine, really. You don't need to worry about me."

"But I want to help. What do you need?"

She smiled at his earnestness and reached out to touch his shoulder soothingly. She must have still been quite drowsy, because an advertisement suddenly caught her attention and she found herself repeating the words. "_If you love someone, act on it._"

"Huh?"

"Oh, sorry, I was just reading that ad. I need some coffee…"

"Wait, I have an idea," he whispered into her ear, and she could have sworn that he was shaking.

"I know how to make you relax," he repeated, and all of a sudden she couldn't move. She couldn't even _think_, because he'd gently pushed her backwards onto the bench and now they were _kissing_, and she didn't have the willpower to stop him because she knew she didn't want to pull away.

And all she could see and feel and hear was (_oh-so-attractive_) Austin Moon, and she'd never forgive him, but she knew she couldn't bring herself to stay angry at him, after all.

**There you have it! Let me know what you think. Peace out!**


End file.
